CAPABLE: Aging in Place

A program that enables seniors to remain at home, remain functional, and remain safe.

SARAH L. SZANTON, PH.D., ANP, INTRODUCESCAPABLE

THE CHALLENGE

Most senior adults prefer to remain in their home as they age. However, their inability to take care of their basic needs like preparing their own meals or going to the bathroom or dressing themselves often means admission to a long-term care facility, which compromises the individual’s dignity and costs them, or taxpayers, thousands of dollars a month.

THE SOLUTION

Community Aging in Place—Advancing Better Living for Elders (CAPABLE) is a low-cost program that integrates a registered nurse an occupational therapist and a licensed handyman who work with individual seniors—particularly low-income urban men and women of color—to keep them at home, functional and safe.

OUTCOMES

Combining environmental and personal supports, older adults can cut their disability in half and decrease depressive symptoms by as much as an antidepressant would.

Results from a demonstration project during 2012-15 showed a 3x Return on Investment, a 2x Improvement in Functionality and symptoms of depression and the ability to shop and manage medications also improved.

OVERVIEW -+

The goal of CAPABLE is to build a culture of health, which means developing multiple layers of resilient possibilities so that each person’s cells, organs, families, communities, and society are able to respond to stressors, challenges, and opportunities with resilient potential.

CAPABLE could be offered nationally to all Medicaid recipients under a provision of the Affordable Care Act in which any pilot program shown to save Medicaid costs is adopted as federal policy.

CAPABLE costs approximately $3,300 per participant for four months including up to $1,200 in home repairs.

TRAINING -+

The CAPABLE Workshop

Workshops to train individuals who want to implement CAPABLE are held quarterly at Johns Hopkins, in Baltimore or by special arrangement at your institution. The Workshop includes:

e-learning modules for OTs and RNs

Training materials

Follow-up telephone support

INNOVATOR -+

About Sarah L. Szanton, Ph.D., A.N.P.

While making house calls as a nurse practitioner to homebound, low-income older adults in West Baltimore, Sarah noticed that their environmental challenges were often as pressing as their health challenges. This inspired her to explore ways to make it possible for low-income older adults to live in their own homes for a longer period of time.

Her “aha” moment came when she realized the potential impact home maintenance could have on health. Sarah developed the Community Aging in Place—Advancing Better Living for Elders (CAPABLE) that combines handyman services with nursing and occupational therapy to improve mobility, reduce stress, and decrease health care costs.

When she’s not investigating ways to help older adults “age in place”, Sarah mentors and teaches future nurse researchers as a professor and the director of the doctoral program at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing.

TESTIMONIALS -+

What study participants told us

“You gave me my independence back. I no longer have to ask permission to take a bath or have the army help me get out on my front porch. I can do it myself which makes me feel like a grown up again! It’s better than winning the lottery!” (74-year-old)

“This has been opening my mind up to new ideas and has made me think more about creative solutions. My daughter told me last year that I was useless and I almost believed her. But now I know I’m not—I’m capable!” (71-year-old)

“I know I am an old man. Before, my wife had to help me to get up in the morning and to get out of the bed. Now I can get up on my own and go. I now need to hustle back home to meet you.” (78-year-old)

WHY CHOOSE A JOHNS HOPKINS SOLUTION?

For 130 years, Johns Hopkins Hospital has led the way in both biomedical discovery and health care, establishing the standard by which others follow and build upon. This is one of many faculty-developed programs, protocols and services provided by Johns Hopkins HealthCare Solutions to improve health outcomes and reduce the cost of care.

Contact us to learn more about this solution and how it can benefit your organization.